The Massive Boomstick Hot Dog You Have To Go To A Rangers Game For

While peanuts and Cracker Jack may be the only two foods singled out in song at most ballgames, if baseball had an official food, it would probably be the hot dog. Just about every ballpark sells them, even Little League games where they may be cooked on a grill by the shortstop's mom. When it comes to the big leagues, MLB stadiums get downright competitive about seeing who can offer the most over-the-top dog. So far, it seems the biggest dog in the yard is the Boomstick, which measures a full 24 inches long.

The Boomstick, which is sold at the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Field, is one hefty hot dog. By itself, it weighs about a pound, but that can easily double once you add the toppings, which include chili, griddled onions, nacho cheese, and jalapeños. This outsized concessions item can't fit in the usual cardboard trays, so it comes in a special container complete with carrying handles. Needless to say, such a substantial sausage doesn't come cheap — this year the Boomstick is priced at $32.96.

The original Boomstick was introduced to Texas Rangers fans during the 2012 season, at which time it cost just $26, but pretty much everything was cheaper back in those halcyon pre-pandemic days. The hot dog was named in honor of outfielder Nelson Cruz, who was then the Rangers' star hitter. While fans may have been dismayed to see Cruz decamp for Baltimore after the 2013 season, his namesake wiener not only remains with the Rangers to this day, but has been sufficiently popular that it's launched several spinoffs.

The Boomstick burger, which is also two feet long and comes with chili, nacho cheese, and onion rings, was introduced for the 2023 season at a price of $34.99. For 2024, the latest addition to the family is the Boomstick Triple Play which comes with a burger, hot dog, and nachos and is a relative bargain at just $32.99. Unfortunately, you don't get a full-sized Boomstick hot dog with this deal, since the burger is a mere 8 inches long while the hot dog comes in at just 1 foot instead of 2.

In May of 2024, online gambling company BetUS set out to prove that size really does matter when it comes to stadium hot dogs, so it hired an official Wiener Connoisseur to measure the hot dogs at each team's concession stands. When all of the numbers (and onions) were crunched, the wiener winner was the Texas Rangers' Boomstick. The second-place dogs — and there was a 12-way tie for this honor — were all only half as long, although the Baltimore Orioles' Yard Dog (named in honor of Camden Yards where they play) is notable in that it consists of three footlongs. This means that you would technically get a 36-inch hot dog if you laid them all end to end, but as the dogs are stacked on a single foot-long bun, BetUs found it ineligible to claim the top dog honor.

A very honorable mention must go to the Milwaukee Brewers. While the hot dogs sold at American Family Field are a mere 6 inches long, the team can boast a non-edible hot dog that's more than triple the length of the Boomstick. We're talking about Frankie Furter, a seven-foot three-inch hot dog in a baseball uniform. Furter and his fellow famous Racing Sausages have been trotting around the infield in the middle of the sixth inning at Brewers home games since the '90s.